NEW YORK (VINnews) – New York City plans to lower speed limits to 15 miles per hour near hundreds of schools as part of a major expansion of a traffic safety initiative aimed at protecting students and families, city officials said Monday.

Mayor Mamdani Holds Press Conference to Make an Announcement with DOT Commissioner Flynn https://t.co/BmUrr8J6jO

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) March 16, 2026

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced the plan alongside Mike Flynn, saying the city will introduce the slower limits at more than 800 additional school locations this year. By the end of the year, nearly 1,300 school zones across the five boroughs are expected to have the reduced speed limit.

The initiative is being carried out under Sammy’s Law, which allows the city to set lower speed limits in targeted areas.

City officials said the administration ultimately intends to apply the 15 mph limits to every eligible school location — about 2,300 sites that house roughly 3,200 public, private, charter and parochial schools — by the end of the mayor’s first term.

We're implementing the largest expansion of Sammy’s Law in city history: lowering speed limits to 15 MPH at every eligible school by the end of our first term.

And we’re not waiting to get started. This year, we’re lowering speed limits at 800 additional locations to 15 MPH,… pic.twitter.com/J8x9uZKe7M

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) March 16, 2026

Transportation officials said most of the reductions will come from converting existing 20 mph school zones and adding new slow zones where the limit is currently 25 mph.

Advocates for safer streets say reducing vehicle speeds can significantly lower the risk of serious injury or death in pedestrian crashes. The policy is part of the city’s broader Vision Zero strategy aimed at reducing traffic fatalities.

Community boards will be notified before the new limits take effect, and officials said additional street safety measures — including traffic calming designs and intersection improvements — may also be added at higher-risk locations.